The delay has to do with finding more volunteers and securing funding to operate the residence at 137 Old Hastings Rd.

"We have to solidify our volunteer base, in terms of their ability to help provide care to residents," he said, "and we need to ensure we have appropriate sources of ongoing operational funding before we can start utilizing the beds as we want to."

Dr. Henderson said The Bridge Hospice is "in early discussions" with the provincial government to provide the necessary funds, with formal presentations still to come.

"We're hoping eventually the government through LHIN (Local Health Integration Network) will be able to fund the operations of residential hospitals all over the place," he said.

Dr. Henderson said the Nov. 24 grand opening was dedicated to the "tremendous amount of effort" on the part of many volunteers and the generosity of numerous donors, which made construction of the hospice possible.

"We're very proud of what they've been able to accomplish," he said.

The Bridge Hospice went from being a dream to reality in seven years, raising $450,000 along the way, which spared the need for a mortgage.

Hospice administrative assistant Sarika Diljohn-Maharaj said approximately 84 volunteers are needed to work four-hour shifts around the clock for a two-week period.

"As of right now, we're about halfway there," she said Nov. 26. "We're still in the process of recruiting volunteers."

A volunteer training course will probably be held in the new year.

Dr. Henderson said the plan is to have "a large part" of nursing support provided at the residence to come from the local Community Care Access Centre whose patients are placed in the hospice.

It's also looking at the possibility of personal support workers to provide overnight support.

"That will probably be a paid position so we have to look at that carefully," he said.

Even if the hospice were to operate at maximum occupancy, three people, "I don't think we'd be able to manage more than about 55 or 60 people in a year," Dr. Henderson said.

Campbellford Memorial Hospital alone has "certainly more than a hundred patients a year who are designated palliative," he said.